Justice Demands the Vote
Item
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Title
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Justice Demands the Vote
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Description
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Visual description: The poster depicts a light-skinned woman and Lady Justice standing prominently on a white platform with steps above a crowd of people. In the background, the dark brown United Kingdom’s Parliament building looms against a beige sky. Below the building, there is a blurry crowd rendered in dark brown. One woman’s face is visible to the left of the bottom of Lady Justice’s robe. On the platform, the woman, who is closer to you than Justice, has dark brown hair and is wearing a dark red dress with a dark brown sash tied around her waist. She has low heels. Her head is bowed slightly, and her eyes are closed. She touches her forehead with her left index finger and thumb. In her right hand, she holds a pole bearing a banner on red fabric that reads, “JUSTICE DEMANDS THE VOTE.” Lady Justice stands on the woman’s left. Justice has grey-brown skin and wears a dark brown cloak and a hood that obscures the upper portion of her face. Her left hand is extended and holds a set of metallic, copper-colored scales. Below her outstretched arm are two carved white posts with a bright red cord tying the tops together. The left end of the cord is adorned with a tassel.
In front of the platform stand two women, one of whom is holding an infant. The woman on the right is light-skinned and has brown hair. Her dark brown hat is wide-brimmed. Her high-collared blouse is white. Over the blouse, she is wearing an orange top with a U-shaped neckline. The final layer is a brown jacket. She is looking up in interest at the banner bearer. The woman on her left is light-skinned and garbed in a black cloak that hides her hair. She is holding a light-skinned baby in a white dress close to her right side. The left side of the baby’s head is pressed against her cheek. She is looking downward. In the bottom left corner of the poster, there is a small, white rectangular box with black text that reads, “PUBLISHED BY BRIGHTON & HOVE WOMEN’S FRANCHISE SOCIETY & PRINTED BY WEINERS LTD. ACTON. W.”
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Additional information: The Artists’ Suffrage League (ASL) was an informal organization that published women’s suffrage materials in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1907, ASL consisted of professional women artists who made posters and flyers to raise awareness and support for suffrage. Their bold messaging and visual language - including frequent usage of personifications of Justice - influenced suffragist propaganda abroad, especially in the United States. American suffragists could see ASL art in the popular British newspaper Votes for Women. Some of ASL's other lithographic posters, which are also featured in this exhibit, include “Votes for Workers,” “What’s Sauce for the Gander is Sauce for the Goose,” and “Women’s Suffrage March and Mass Meeting.”Source: "Creativity and Persistence: Art that Fueled the Fight for Women's Suffrage," edited by Don Ball, 29-32. National Endowment for the Arts, August 2020. https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/Creativity-and-Persistence-08.13.20.pdf
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Contributor
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Alice Park [collector]
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Coverage
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United Kingdom Women's Suffrage Movement, early 20th century
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Creator
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J. Weiner LTD., London, United Kingdom [printer]
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Artists’ Suffrage League, 1907- [artist]
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Date
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1903 - 1926
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Format
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Medium: Lithograph
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Dimensions: 39 x 24 inches
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Identifier
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Poster of a woman standing with Lady Justice and holding a banner that reads “JUSTICE DEMANDS THE VOTE”
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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Brighton & Hove Women's Franchise Society
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Rights
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This image may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the Schlesinger Library.
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Source
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Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Radcliffe Institute Gr-1-12
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Subject
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Women's suffrage
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UK politics
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Suffragettes
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Type
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Poster
